Hundreds rally during Zimbabwe's new anti-sanctions holiday

The massive march that Zimbabwe's government tried to rouse for a new anti-sanctions public holiday appeared to fizzle on Friday, with hundreds of people turning out in the capital, Harare.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government blames years of US sanctions for devastating economic conditions including galloping inflation and severe shortages of basic goods and services.

The US denies that sanctions against selected entities and officials, including Mnangagwa, are responsible for the southern African nation's crisis.

Washington blames corruption, mismanagement and human rights violations instead, and it says the US is the biggest provider of humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe, whose 300 per cent inflation is the second highest in the world after Venezuela's.

The sanctions were imposed over alleged human rights violations amid troubled elections and the seizures of white-owned land.

Mnangagwa, who took office after longtime leader Robert Mugabe was forced out in late 2017, at first urged Zimbabweans to "stop mourning" about sanctions.

He has since turned the sanctions into a rallying cry like his predecessor and frequently blames them for the collapsing economy as hopes fade he will revive the country's fortunes.

Marchers on Friday carried signs saying "Sanctions must go now" and "Sanctions are a crime against humanity."